beals



No. 6l4,824. Patented Nov. 29,- I898 4 F. w. BEALS. FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING MACHINES.

(Application filed Apr, 23, 1894.)

(No Model.)

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UNITED STATES PATENT Prion.

FREDERICK IV. BEALS, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO JOHN GREENE, OF SAME PLACE.

FOLDING ATTACHMENT FOR SEWING-MACHINES.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 614,824, dated November 29, 1898.

Application filed April 23, 1894. Serial No. 508 ,562. (N0 model.)

To aZZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, FREDERICK W. BEALS, a citizen of the United States, residing at the city of St. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Automatic Folding Attachment for Sewing-Machines, of which the following is such a full,clear,and exact description as will enable any one skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification.

My invention consists of a new and useful cloth folding attachment for sewing machines, and more particularly for that class of machines wherein there are two needles which sew or stitch two seams simultaneously. Nith such machines when sewing two pieces of cloth together it is desirable that the edges of the cloth be folded in or interfolded, so that after they are sewed together such edges are within or between the seams and thus raveling or tearing is prevented and at the same time a seam is made that is neat in appearance. The folders heretofore used for this purpose have been to a great extent imperfect and uncertain in operation and result,-owing to a number of difficulties which they were not able to overcome. One was that when sewing two pieces of cloth together, especially where the cloth was heavy or stiff, such as heavy duck, where there were transverse seams to cross the folder could not be relied upon at times to operate-that is, the fold would many times have to be made by hand-and in some cases the seams across such transverse ones had to be made on a different machine or one without a folding attachment. Another serious objection in previous folders has been that if a thread should break in the middle of a seam the cloth could not be readily removed 1 from the folder, and the result in such a case Figure 1 is a perspective view of the folder attached to a two-needle machine, a part of such folder being attached to the top plate of the machine and the other to the presser-foot rod. Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, the presser-foot rod being in section. Fig. 3 is an inner end view of the same, showing two pieces of cloth in place in the folder and the arm of the pivoted part of such folder broken off or in section. Fig. 4 is avertical sectional view through the presser-foot collar, which carries the pivoted part of the folder. Fig. 5 is a detail perspective View of two pieces of cloth which have been joined or stitched together where the folder has been used.

Like letters of reference refer to corresponding parts in all the views of the drawings.

10 represents the top plate of a sewing-machine, 11 the cloth-plate, and 12 the feed.

13 is the overhanging machine-arm, in which is carried the needle-rod 14, to the lower end of which are secured the needles.

15 is the presser-foot rod, also carried in the overhanging arm 13 and having secured to its lower end the presser-foot 16, through which the needles pass, the presser-foot being above the machine-feed. These parts are very similar in all machines of this class, and with but little if any change my attachment is adapted to be connected to any of them.

The folding attachment proper consists of two parts 17 and 18, the first recessed on its inner side at 19, the top of such recess at one end being formed by a flat spring 20, which is secured at its outer end to the part 17 by a screw or in any other suitable manner. The

part 17 may be connected or attached directly to the top plate 10 of the machine, but where it is desired to have it adjustable I prefer to use the slotted baror plate 21, which is formed on or secured to the side of the part 17, the bar 21 being secured to the top plate 10 of the machine by a set-screw 22. The other or movable part 18 of the folder has a recess 23 in its inner side, the bottom of such recess being partly formed by a tapered spring 21 and the top of such recess by a lip or over-- hanging piece 25 of the part 18. The part 18 has connected to its outside an arm 26, which is preferably pivoted in a bracket 27 on the collar 28, adj ustably secured to the presserfoot rod 15 and above the p16SS6l-fO0l]. 29 is an enlargement or collar on the pivot-pin of the arm 26, with notches 30 in its periphery which engage with a spring-dog 31, working in a recess 32 in the bracket 27. The object of the notched collar 29 and the spring-dog 31 is to hold the pivoted part 18 of the folder either down on the work being stitched or up in a raised position, as is desired.

It will be noticed by reference to Figs. 1, 2, and 3 of the drawings that the two parts of the folder are tapered-that is, that while their lower sides are on a line with the top plate 10 of the machine their tops are inclined downward toward the presser-foot. The pivoted part 18 of the folder and also the fixed part 17 are also set on angle with relation to each other, so that the way or passage forward between them by the recess in each is tapered, the end nearest the presser-foot being the narrowest.

Supposing two pieces of goods were to be stitched together, the presser-foot would be raised in the usual manner, and also the movable part 18 of the folder. The first piece of cloth or material would be laid on the top plate of the machine with its edge folded in the recess 19 in the fixed part 17 of the folder. The other piece of material would then be laid over the top of the fixed part of the folder, and the edge of the material would be turned over the edge of the first piece, and the ends of the two would be moved under the presser-foot, which would then be lowered. The movable part of the folder would then be dropped and the cloth would take the position in the folder shown in Fig. 3.

lVhen the machine is started, all that is required of the operator is to guide the cloth into the folder, and while where it enters at the outer end the two pieces are not closely interfolded, yet as they are drawn in through the movements of the machine the angular position of the two parts of the folder will cause the edges of the cloth to become more and more interfolded until they reach the needles, where they are stitched together, the seam after stitching having the appearance of the one shown in Fig. 5.

Should at any time in stitching a seam a cross or transverse seam be reached, or if two be reached together, the folder will work equally as well as at ordinary times. The spring in each part of the folder and the movability of the one part allows the way or opening formed between the two parts to become enlarged for the reception of the greatly-increased thickness of material, and yet this is not so great as to prevent the material from being properly folded.

Should at any time a thread break or stitches be skipped, by raising the pivoted part of the folder the work can be readily drawn out of the machine and folder to be stitched over, and when the unfinished part is reached by dropping the movable part 18 the folder immediately takes up the work again.

In working extremely heavy material where a cross or transverse seam is reached the pivoted part of the folder can be raised until the cross-seam is passed and then dropped back into place, where it immediately takes up the work. Bot-h parts of the folder can be adjusted with relation to each other and to the needles and presser foot 16, the part 17, through the slot in its arm, being adjustable and the pivoted part by interposing washers between its arm 26 and the bracket 27 on a longerorshorterpivot-pin. Thisadjustment allows a change in the width of the folder outside of the hems, and will also allow the adjustment of the parts of the folder for needles that are close together or at a distance apart or where the needles are adjustable. In a single-needle machine the folder can be likewise used; but with that class of machines the seam-folding attachment is butlittle used.

Modifications may be made in the form of and manner of connecting the folder to the machine without departing from the spirit of my invention, and I do not wish to limit myself to the precise construction shown.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. A folding attachment for sewingmachines, consisting of two separate and independent parts adapted to form an interlapping fold, said parts having concave guiding edges arranged opposite to and thus facing each other, such concave guiding edges being approximately in the same plane, and having an unobstructed space or opening between them, one of said parts being adj ustably fixed and the other being movable, and means for adjusting said parts with relation to each other and the needles.

2. A folding attachment for sewing-machines, consisting of a fixed and a movable part each having a recess in its opposing face, the recess in one having a flexible top and the other a flexible bottom and the space between the two parts of the folder contracted at its inner end.

3. A folding attachment for sewing-machines, consisting of a fixed and a movable part each having a recess in its opposing face, the recess in the fixed part having a flexible top and the other a flexible bottom and the top of the recess in the pivoted part overhanging the fixed part.

4. A folding attachment for sewing-inachines, consisting of two parts, one adapted to be adjustably fixed in front of the presserfoot of the machine, the other adapted to be pivoted to such machine, a recess formed in each part of the folder, one of such recesses havinga flexible top, and the other a flexible bottom, the top of the latter recess overhanging the flexible top of the former, and the inner end of the space between the two recesses contracted.

5. A folding attachment for sewing machines, consisting of a fixed and a pivoted part, the former having a projecting lip on its upper inner edge, under which one piece of cloth is folded, and over which the other piece is folded, the latter part having lips on its inner lower and upper edges, the latter lip overhanging the fixed part of the folder, and the two parts of the folder set on an angle to each other, whereby thespace between-them at their inner end is contracted.

G. A folding attachment for sewingmachines, consisting of two parts adjustable with relation to each other, a lip on one of each parts in a line intermediate between two lips on the adjacent side of the other part, the upper lip on the latter part overlapping the lip of the first part, and means for holding such parts normally at a slight angle with relation to each other.

7. A folding attachment for sewingmachines, consisting of two parts, one adjustably fixed to the top plate of the machine, and the other pivoted to the presser-foot rod of such machine, a lip on one of such parts in a line intermediate between two lips on the adjacent side of the other part, the upper lip on the latter part overlapping the lip on the first part, such parts normally held at a slight angle to each other.

8. A sewing-machine lap-seam feller, consisting of two entirely separate and inclependent parts, one of which is provided with means whereby it is adapted to be attached to the work-plate of a sewing-machine, and the other of which is provided with means whereby it may be supported from above said work plate, said parts having concave guiding edges arranged opposite to and thus facing each other, such concave guiding edges being approximately in the same horizontal plane, and having an unobstructed space or opening between them.

9. A sewing-machine lap-seam feller, consisting of two independent parts having concave opposed guiding edges, one of said parts being supported by the work-plate of the machine and having a flexible top, and the other of said parts being supported from above the said work-plate and having a flexible bottom.

10. A sewing-machine lap-seam feller, consistin g of two entirely separate and independent parts, one of which is attached to the workplate of the sewing-machine, and the other of which is carried by the presser-bar, said parts having a recess in their opposing faces, making two substantially U -shaped parts, and having a limb of each U-shaped part projecting into the recess of the other part, leaving a free unobstructed opening between the parts. In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my hand this 20th day of April, 1894:, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FREDERICK XV. BEALS.

Witnesses:

JOHN F. GREEN, J OHN GRE NE. 

